FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Tigers Fight Back to Clip 'Crabs 6-4

Published on May 22, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


LAKELAND, FL - This is one of those losses that stings a little more than the others. In a pattern that is unfamiliar to the Stone Crabs, they wasted two separate three run leads on Thursday night at Joker Marchant Stadium in the third game of the four game series. Leading the comeback was Tigers third baseman Tyler Hanover, who had a memorable night and drove in a season-high four runs in a 6-4 win. After getting trounced 8-0 in Tuesday night's opener, the Tigers have won the last two and can take the series with a win in the finale on Friday.

The best part of the evening was the fact that it was the only close game in the first three meetings between the teams. Facing lefthander Josh Turley in the first, the Stone Crabs put a stranglehold on the early momentum following one out singles by Justin O'Conner and Leonardo Reginatto. After Patrick Leonard popped out to first, Tyler Goeddel snuck a triple down the right field line to put the Stone Crabs ahead 2-0. Turley's first offering to Kes Carter got behind catcher Austin Green for a wild pitch, and Goeddel trotted in to make it 3-0.

What's unfortunate is that Leonel Santiago couldn't savor the victory. In one of his best performances of the year, he had picked up two quick outs in the fourth with just a walk and a single allowed through his first three innings. With Jeff Holm making his series debut, Santiago shook off the first sign from O'Conner and hung a curveball that Holm crushed for his fourth home run. With the score 3-1, a double by Connor Harrell and Austin Green's tough bouncer that rolled off Reginatto at short put the tying runs on base. James Robbins, fresh off a three-hit performance the night before, soon grounded out to first to end the inning.

In the seventh, the Stone Crabs chased Turley after a leadoff walk by Jake DePew, who got to second on a wild pitch thrown to Hector Guevara. A hard single into center brought Calvin Drummond out of the bullpen with runners at the corners and nobody out. Marty Gantt greeted him with an RBI single into left that gave the Stone Crabs another three-run lead at 4-1. But that's where it would end.

Guevara's defense at second base had been superb all night long until he misplayed a chopper off the bat of Harrell to open the home half. A single by Green brought the tying run to the plate, but Parker Markel whiffed Robbins for the first out. The mood of the inning changed after Markel lost a lengthy battle with shortstop Jared Reaves, who worked a walk to load the bases for Hanover. He wasted no time in guiding the first pitch he saw down the right field line to clear the bases and tie the score at four with a triple. A walk to Chad Wright and a strikeout of Curt Powell ended Markel's evening in favor of Ryan Garton, who worked ahead of Jeff McVaney 1-2 before the right fielder brought in the winning run with a single to make it 5-4. The Stone Crabs put the tying run at third base in the eighth after a pair of singles by Leonard and Josh Sale, but Tigers closer Angel Nesbitt got DePew to ground out to second to end the inning. The final run came in the home eighth when Hanover's RBI groundout with the bases loaded made it 6-2.

The series concludes on Friday night at 7:11 PM when Austin Pruitt (3-1, 5.36 ERA) takes on the Tigers Kevin Eichhorn (3-0, 1.66 ERA). You can follow all the action by listening to the game on www.stonecrabsbaseball.com via TuneIn Radio, or tuning into 91.7 FM-WVIJ in the Port Charlotte area. The Stone Crabs Pregame Show starts at 6:51 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!

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Florida State League Stories from May 22, 2014


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